


Assassins Concubine: Yan Qing x OC

by Lady_Rhey



Series: Tale of Two Worlds [1]
Category: Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, Fate/stay night - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2019-11-09 02:42:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17993339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Rhey/pseuds/Lady_Rhey
Summary: This is the beginning of a larger series I am trying to do labeled Tale of Two Worlds that discuss the previous lives of the Servants before and after they meet their Modern Day Master in various ways/scenarios.*Requests welcome*





	1. The Summons

**Author's Note:**

> This is the story of Yang Qing before and after he became a Heroic Spirit. It is based off the Chinese Fiction Novel Water Margin.  
> \------------------
> 
> The Song Dynasty, as with many periods in Chinese history, was a tumultuous time. Rebellion against the government was rampant, but only a few organized efforts to change history made a name for themselves. One such effort, if the stories are true, told of a man named Yan Qing and the 108 outlaws of the Stars of Destiny who fought against the government and foreign invaders after being granted amnesty. 
> 
> Though it was his deeds that made him viable as a heroic spirit, it was his passion and dedication that drove him through history as he searched for the one thing he had left behind for the greater good. His one true love, the concubine Shiryen. If Buddhism, which ran rampant in the Song Dynasty, was correct then it was possible her spirit would resurface. As a result, he fully accepted his life of servitude as he searched for her soul, which time and distance could not diminish. So what happens when he finds her, but she has no recollection of him?

  1. "A summons has been requested.  Do you want to answer it?"



 

Yan Qing materialized in the space that was the in between during times of inactivity when holy grail wars were not commencing and looked up at the light that symbolized the holy grail.  "What is its wish this time?"  He answered coldly.

 

"To release the hold the singularities have on the world, to elevate man above its menial existence, and to balance the laws of the world so man and its surroundings exist in harmony."

 

That last sentence he played again in his head.  Why did it sound so familiar?  He frowned.  "I accept."  He answered and moments later he was surrounded by a bright white light before a familiar smell wafted over him.  He didn't fully process the smell before the light disappeared and he stared out at a sight that nearly brought him to his knees as memory and emotion came flooding across his consciousness.  "Ren?"

 

It was a question that held all the love and devotion one man could hold as he traversed time farther and farther from the place he called home.

 

 

*FLASHBACK*

 

The band had just come back from a successful raid on a military outpost and had gone into the town at the bottom of Mount Liang to celebrate.  As they entered the town, there was a debate as to where they should visit first.

 

"Let's go get a drink!" Li Ying belowed.

 

"No!  Let's go to Madam Wen's and see the pretty little oddity everyone has been talking about and then get drunk!"  Hua Rong retorted.

 

"Why?  It wont improve your chances."  Yang Zhi snidely commented. 

 

"Shut up!  How do you know!"  Hua Rong snapped back.

 

This debate continued until they found themselves at the door to Madam Wen's.

 

"Oddity you say?  I'd like to see what all the talk is about."  Song Jiang stated with finality. 

 

So they all dismounted and walked in.  Once inside, the hostess greets them.  "Welcome gentlemen, the Madam will be right down.  She is dealing with....."

 

"YOU WILL DO AS I SAY OR I WILL PUT YOU OUT ON THE FIRST CARAVAN I FIND!"  A woman yells upstairs.

 

"As I was saying, she is dealing with a sensitive issue at the moment." 

 

Not a moment after the last word leaves the hostesses mouth, the Madam comes shuffling downstairs.  "Well if it isn't our favorite Men of the Mountain.  What are you in the mood for?"  She bows.

 

Song Jiang replies, "We came to see your newest addition.  Seems she is quite the talk of the town."

 

The Madam sighs.  "That she is.  Are you sure I can't bring you several of my best girls instead?  She is otherwise inclined at the moment."

 

"Then un-incline her.  Today has seen many profits and we wish to partake of one more."

 

The whole time this interaction has gone on, Yang Qing the 36th Star, snuck out the front door, climbed up an adjacent building, and started heading over the roofs to the garden in the back.  It wasn't that he wasn't interested in women, because he was, but he preferred his interactions to be less crude. 

 

Within seconds, he found himself on the last roof before the outstretched garden.  He enjoyed how peaceful it was here, a welcome distraction after following the band the last several days.  Closing his eyes and breathing in the serenity of the bamboo fountains that clunked against river stones as pond water gently flowed through them, cherry blossoms, water Lillie's, and solitude, Yan Qing felt the tension of the last excursion melting away. 

 

Then he heard a shuffling sound and shrank slightly against the roof until an unfamiliar female walked slowly to the central pond.

 

As soon as his eyes landed on her he was captivated.  She was unlike any woman he had ever seen.  Broad of shoulder, peach skin, a more square face with a cute nose and soft eyes whose color he could not see, and suggestive curves of both breast and hip, he watched as she came to the pond and glanced a moment at the brightly colored Koi within. 

 

Neither of them moved for what seemed like a dozen breaths before she knelt down on her knees and released her hair, allowing it to be caught in the gentle breeze. 

 

He had never seen hair like it.  It was the color of browning leaves in autumn with hints of gold and red as its straight tresses tumbled past her shoulders and down to her lower back. 

 

As he continued to watch, she reached out and kissed the water with her finger tips, causing the Koi to scurry under the surface before coming back to try to feed from the tips. 

 

When the first fish "kissed" her fingers, her pouty lips lifted in a smile that caused his chest to clench.It was so genuine and innocent, brightening her face and adding a youthfulness that few women he came in contact with possessed. 

 

Then seconds later it is replaced by fear as her face and body hardened with the sound of the Madam's voice.

 

"Shiryen! You have guests!"

 

Yan Qing watches as she quickly pulls her hair up in a loose bun before standing and straightening her kimono.Seconds later, Madam Wen rounds the corner with the band and an unknown Chinese man in tow. 

 

"Gentlemen, this is Shiryen, the girl you requested.She does not speak our language as of yet, but her interpreter will mediate your needs."

 

"She is as beautiful as you claimed.I can see why she is so highly sought after."Song Jiang says with a smirk as he leaves the walkway and walks towards the concubine.

 

Yan Qing sees the fear in her body, but she refuses to back down against Song Jiangs' looming presence. 

 

When Song Jiang stands in front of her, he reaches his hand out to caress her face, but Yan Qing's dagger flies at his hand, which Song Jiang catches effortlessly. 

 

With Song Jiang distracted for a second, Yan Qing vaults off the building and comes to stand next to his leader before taking the dagger from his hand with his index finger and thumb.

 

"It's not like you to take a woman against her will."Yan Qing states matter of factly.

 

Song Jiang stares at him with hard eyes, irritation clear in his voice."What makes you think she is unwilling?"

 

Yan Qing smirks before looking at Shiryen as he slowly walks around her."You were never good at reading women, expecting them to just succumb to you.There is tension in her stance which is stored in her hips.There is strain in her face, which can be seen in the creases at the corners of her eyes....." then he stands behind her and plucks the hair pin that she is gripping for dear life, placing it carefully in her hair before completing his circuit "......and her knuckles are white from gripping the hair pin she was in the middle of replacing before you interrupted her solitude." 

 

Song Jiang looks at Shiryen as her eyes go wide before looking back at Yan Qing."Is that so?Then I guess I have you to thank Yan Qing for saving me from making a fatal mistake."

 

"It was nothing.Now why don't you let Madam Wen take care of you.It has been a long journey and if gossip can be believed, there are plenty of women willing to share your presence this evening."Yan Qing places his hand on Song Jiang's shoulder as he begins to lead him back to where his men stand.

 

"And you?"The two look at each other and Yan Qing flashes him his best disarming smile. 

 

"I shall continue to scout the area to ensure you are able to take your much deserved pleasure my friend."

 

Song Jiang clasps Yan Qing's other forearm."If I didn't know better I would say you didn't enjoy women, but I do and appreciate your dedication to our safety."Then he releases Yan Qing and turns to his men."Come!Let us enjoy what Madam Wen has to offer!"

 

Then the band departs as Madam Wen nods to Yan Qing, who nods back.

 

When everyone has left except Shiryen and her translator, Shiryen speaks for the first time and her voice is like liquid silk, which isn't diminished when the translator repeated what she said.

 

"It would seem I am in your debt."She bows gracefully.

 

"You do not need to thank me, just be more careful.These men do not tolerate either disobedience or attempts on their life.I would suggest you find your way around before you find yourself dead."

 

She raises an eyebrow."I will take that into consideration going forward."

 

Yang Qing smiles."Shall I escort you back to your rooms?"He motions with his hand, but does not try to touch her or guide her.

 

She nods and he clasps his hands behind his back as they walk towards her rooms.

 

Though they walk mostly in silence, Yan Qing can tell she is relaxing slightly.When they get back to her room she turns with her hand on the door."May I request your help again?"

 

"It would be my pleasure.I am Yan Qing, the 36th Star of the Stars of Destiny.  I am at your service, but in the advent I am not here and you need me, take this."  He hands her the clasp that holds his hair.  "If you wear this, you should not run into any trouble and can request aid from anyone who is friend of the mountain."

 

She carefully takes it from his hand and removes her hair pins before replacing them with his clasp.  "Then I guess I should give you this as a token of my thanks."  She hands him one of her own hair pins.

 

 

 

"Though I do not expect you to wear it, it will remind you that someone appreciates your genuine heart and sharp eye."

 

He smirks and pulls his hair up, placing the pin in to secure it to the back of his head.

 

The laugh that escapes her lips sounds like wind chimes in summer and the happiness in her eyes melts his heart.  "If you ever wish to fill in for me let me know.  You are quite beautiful you know."  She reaches out and touches his cheek, causing him to blush and turn his head.

 

"I was just trying to get a laugh." 

 

"Well you succeeded."  She smiles a moment longer.  "Will I see you again?"

 

He turns his head still a slight pout on his lips.  "If that is what you wish."

 

"And is it something you wish?"  She asks coyly.

 

He places his index finger on his lips as his chin rests in his thumb as he pretends to think.  "I suppose.  We can't have you ignorant AND unable to speak the language.  I suppose I could teach you when I am in town." 

 

She scoffs and Yan Qing bows.

 

*Flashback Ends*

 

"Ren?"  Yan Qing asks as he stares into the eyes of the woman who stands in front of him.  She is the spitting image of the woman he once knew and fell in love with when he was alive, but his heart sinks at her response.

 

"I'm sorry, you must have the wrong person.  I'm Liryaen, Lira for short.  You must be my Servant.  It's a pleasure to meet you.  What's your name?"

 

With confusion and heartbreak, he replied.  "Yan Qing, Assassin."  He looks around to see if anything else might tie his vision of you to the person he once knew.  "May I ask what you used to summon me?"

 

"Certainly!"  Lira walks to stand in front of him and bends down, allowing him to catch a whiff of your scent, amber and lilies, the scent Ren always used when she washed her hair. Yan Qing unconsciously reaches his hand out to touch a lock of your hair, but instead has a slender wooden object placed in his hand.

 

"I used this hair pin that has been passed down in my family for years with the message that if any of us found ourselves in need of help, we should use this in some way and a solution would be provided.  Apparently it is said to be possessed by a protective spirit, or at least that's what the dealer said when my ancestors bought it during their travels."

 

He cannot help but look at the pin in shock.  It is the match to his own, proving that even if she isn't her, some part of her exists in the woman that stands before him. 

 

He would learn the truth, but until then he would bide his time.  He had bound her to him once and he could do it again, even if she didn't know who he was, they were meant to be together.  She would come around one way or another and he had nothing but time.


	2. History vs Fairy Tales

"So, I have to admit.Historically, I know nothing about you.Are you REALY an infamous assassin?". Lira asks when they get back to what would now be their room.

 

Yan wasn't completely surprised by the question.In all his time as a servant, few Masters had known who he was let alone cared once he told them.To him, their lack of knowledge kept their relationship simple, making his role more of a job fulfillment than a partnership against a common evil. 

 

What mainly caught his attention was the attentive look she gave after asking when she went to sit on the edge of the bed and stare at him, waiting patiently for him to respond.It reminded him a lot of Ren when they first started learning about each other. 

 

"Do you every really DO anything in this band of righteous miscreants or are you just the mediator?"Ren had asked in frustration as a way to stave off their painfully slow language training. 

 

The memory made him smile before going to take the chair behind Lira's desk, dragging it in front of her, reversing it and sitting down facing her so he could leans against the chair back and animatedly portray the story that was to follow. 

 

"What would you say if I told you I was spawned from one of the 108 great demons that had been trapped in a Taoist shrine many hundreds of years ago?" 

 

She giggled."I would tell you that I love stories and you need better hobbies.No demon, besides maybe Gilgamesh and Solomon, have become servants for the Grande Order of Chaldea."  She responded in amusement that bordered on blatant disbelief. 

 

"But it is true."  Yan said with a slight smile, a wink of his eye and a point of his index finger up towards the ceiling as if it were directed at the heavens.  "After Marshal Hong Xin traveled to the Dragon and Tiger Mountain in Xinzhou Prefecture of Jiangxi Province to fetch the Divine Teacher meant to rid the kingdom of the plague that was overcoming the countryside and court, he came upon a temple inside the Teachers Taoist monastery that held behind its doors 36 Stars of Heavenly Spirits and 72 Stars of Earthly fiends sealed by generations of Divine Teachers."

 

Holding eye contact with her long enough to ensure her continued interest, Yan progressed casually with the story.

 

"Wishing to see a demon, he demanded entry to the room, despite much protest from the monks, forcing the seals and locks to be broken and allowing him admittance inside.  Unable to see beyond the door for there was no light admitted inside, he requested torches whose light revealed a tablet in the center that was based on a stone tortoise sunken halfway into the earthen floor.  On the front, written in dragon and Phoenix scripts and mystic signs and symbols, were untranslatable phrases as well as the words 'Open when Hong Arrives'."

 

Pausing for effect, Yan lowers his head to rest it on his crossed arms as he continues to stare at Lira.  After she blinks several times, she interjects.

 

"And...?"  She says as she gives a 'aren't you going to continue' face, her eyes going wide and her head cocking slightly to the side. 

 

"Oh!"  He says after jerking his head up in mock surprise.  "I thought you might be bored so I stopped."

 

She just rolled her eyes and motioned with her hand to continue, which he did eagerly.

 

"Believing his intervention was foretold and couldn't result in disaster, Master Hong had the workers that had opened the doors dig up the stone believing the demons he wished to see resided below it.  Once the men had created a hole four feet deep, they came upon another slab which Hong promptly had them remove."

 

He paused another second until Lira motioned again, a slight pride welling up inside at the prospect that his currently Master actually had interest in him beyond his literal purpose. 

 

"Below this larger slab, a hole of approximately a thousand feet lurked."  Yan said after scooting his chair closer for dramatic effect, never taking his eyes off of hers.  "Within seconds of the hole being revealed, a monstrous roar erupted before a black cloud bellowed out of the opening knocking everyone onto their backsides before tearing through a section of the roof and dispersing into more than one hundred rays of golden light that dispersed in every direction."  As he reaches the key part, Yan's arms raised and fingers spread as he imitated a ball of light dispersing through the sky.

 

"It wouldn't be until the reign of Emperor Zhe Zhong that those rays of light, also known as the Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Fiends, would wreak havoc on the world as was foretold in Taoist texts after coming to reside among man in the greatest strongholds and most remote of marshes."  Yan said after booping her on the nose with his index finger before leaning back and crossing his arms over the chair back.

 

Smiling in amusement and playful judgement Lira teased.  "And I take it you are supposed to be one of these said demons?"

 

Yan just shrugged dismissively.  "So I have been called, though I had human parents just like you so even I cannot say for sure, but me and my fellow Outlaws of the Marsh did terrorize those whose corruption violated our core principles."

 

Raising an eyebrow, Lira asked "And those were?"

 

Suddenly a stern look crossed his face as his eyes seemed to pierce through her very soul with the depth of their truth and sincerity.  "Be ardently righteous and loyal always, never covet wealth or harm the people.  It was our job to enforce justice on behalf of the emperor."

 

"I see.  Almost like a band of Asian Robin Hood's."

 

Yan wrinkled his nose at that.  "Some could be said to have followed a motto similar to that, but several kept the spoils of their retribution to themselves, wishing only to cause disrupt to the spoiling forces and enrich their own positions as a means to creating an alternative force."

 

"Isn't that counter productive then?"  Lira asked quizzically. 

 

"Honor among thieves seems to be more fitting for our dynamic, yet we all managed to follow a common goal of revolt against false idealism."  Yan's response was factual and without remorse or passion. 

 

"Interesting.  So among these...men of valor... what was your specific role?  I get that this may be where the assassin part comes in, but how was that what you were deemed good at?" 

 

Yan didn't sense any sarcasm or jest in her question only sincerity and curiosity. 

 

"Being 'over six chi tall, with a fair complexion, red lips, thick eyebrows, broad shoulders and a narrow waist' according to all my wanted posters, coupled with my unwavering loyalty to  Lu Junyi, which appealed to Song Jiang our leader, a highly skilled martial artist and wrestler, and a talented musician who sings well and plays many instruments, my charming good looks and ability to learn quickly made me a perfect candidate for spying missions, or so I was told."

 

At the mention of music and singing her eyes worked up.  "What did you play?"

 

The interest in one of his more intimate hobbies made Yan blush slightly as it was the only hobby he had been able to impart on Ren and the main thing that had caused their love to blossom into the affair that would steal his very heart up until now. 

 

"I played anything I could get my hands on.  I found music to be much like killing.  Melodic in its setup, dramatic in its build up and flawless in its perfect execution.  It was the one thing that allowed me a taste of nirvana outside of taking a man's life."

 

"Would you...play for me some time?"  Lira asked hesitantly.

 

His eyes went wide for a second before Yan placed a hand over his heart and bowed slightly into the back of the chair he was still seated on.  "If that is your wish, I cannot deny it."

 

Here she frowns before saying, "It is my hope you would play because you desire it not because I wish it.  I do not intent to force my will on you, but hope that one day we can become equals, forming a bond that transcends superficial ties and rigid expectations."

 

It was Yan's turn to show mild shock as he raised an eyebrow and nodded slightly.  "I will consider it then, though I fear I may be rusty."

 

Her smile returns and she says, "There is no rush for we are both wanderers in this game of life and death."

 

"Wanderers...". He whispered as his mind raced back to the past. 

 

——Flashback——

 

"Yan...tell me a story."  Ren had asked one day in summer as she sat near the entry of her room and looked out at the garden as the cherry blossoms fell. 

 

"What story would you like?"  He asked with soft curiosity, knowing her heart was somewhere far away.

 

"Tell me...the story of my heart."

 

Yan smiles and reaches out to take and then position the guzheng in front of him.  "As you wish."  Pausing a moment to collect the song in his mind, he hums the first note before tracing the cords with lithe and dexterous fingers.  As the notes for Spring River Flower Moon Night begin to play, a solitary tear trails down her eye. 

 

——Flash Forward—

 

Ren had always been his spring flower and he her Moon night as they existed together in the same sphere yet lived two separate lives.  To her, the song embodied the journey of both her life and their love, leaving them wanderers in a life they had never desired.  Even so, knowing it brought her sadness every time he played it, she had always loved that song and somehow he knew she still would to this day.  If Lira really was a descendent or even the reincarnation of her, odds are that song would be written into the fibers of her soul, but there was only one way to find out. 

 

"When I am able to reaffirm my skills, I will most certainly meet your request as it would be a pleasure to play for you Master."

 

"Lira.  Please, call me Lira."

 

"Lira."  Yan said with a smile and a slight tilt of his head.  "It would still remain my pleasure, as it always has been and always will be."


End file.
